The Celtics dealt their franchise cornerstone on Wednesday to the Philadelphia 76ers.
On Wednesday, the Boston Celtics traded franchise cornerstone Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package of Paul George and four future draft picks, two of which will come in the first round.
On Thursday, the Celtics fans - and the league - attempted to dissect the fallout of the trade and where Boston goes from here.
According to ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania, Brown felt disrespected by being included in a trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier this offseason. However it was more than that: Brown was also upset about the "cumulative affect" of being constantly surrounded by trade rumors.
And that's true. Ever since coming into the league a decade ago, Brown has been floated in possible deals for Kevin Durant, Paul George, Anthony Davis and Antetokounmpo. Charania reports that Brown was actually offered up for Durant a few years ago. Eventually it wore on Brown.
So, was the situation untenable?
Based on Charnia's reporting, it sounds like the two sides could have reconciled - for a price. Brown is eligible to sign a two-year supermax extension in July, and was willing to come back to Boston and move on from this, if he got that extension.
And that makes sense because in the world of professional sports, dollars = respect.
However, the Celtics were unwilling to do that apparently and began shopping Brown, which they had been willing to do before.
So what now?
Well, the Celtics have to figure out where they are going from here. The team is now led by Jayson Tatum, and he is flanked by a solid group of perimeter players in Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
The C's just signed center Mitchell Robinson which should help create more balance offensively and defensively, but how does George fit into everything?
Is he a starter alongside Tatum? Is he a reserve player who plays the role of sixth man? Are the Celtics going to try to ship him out for something else that can help? And what about those picks? Are those assets that the C's want to use in the future, or do they want to trade them for something to help right now?
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives tot he basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) in the second half of a game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Brian Fluharty-Imagn ImagesIt all remains to be seen, but after Brown led the C's to a 56-26 record a season ago, there is real concern over how the group will perform without him. He finished sixth in the MVP voting after scoring 28.7 ppg.
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